Irvingia excelsa

Family: Irvingiaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows to 40 m high. It can have buttresses up to 3 m tall. The fruit are 8 cm long by 6.5 cm wide.

There are 7 Irvingia species. 6 are in Africa and 1 in Asia. The fruit of all is edible but mostly the seeds are used.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in forest on dry ground.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Gabon, Nigeria, West Africa

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten raw or roasted. They are used to thicken soup. They are also used in bread. The fruit are eaten and used for drinks and jam.

There are 7 Irvingia species.

Edible parts

Seeds - oil, kernels, nuts, fruit, seeds - spice

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Abele aselele, Aikpele, Ewewe, Nom andok, Payo

Synonyms

Irvingia gabonensis var. excelsa (Mildbr.) Okafor;